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Australian director Ray Lawrence (Lantana) returns again with yet another sharply observed, superbly crafted joyride of a character study. Based upon Raymond Carver's "So Much Water, So Close to Home," Jindabyne centers around four fishermen who discover a dead body in the river and choose to keep fishing. Their return home unleashes a firestorm of calumny and reveals the fissures and fractures in their friendships with each other and relationships with wives and girlfriends.

The central couple is masterfully played by Laura Linney (The Squid and the Whale) and Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects) as an American married to an Irishman who've found themselves living in a small town in the Australian Bush. Lawrence and screenwriter Beatrix Christian have dreamed up an incredibly juicy backstory for the couple, which, thankfully, avoids the clichéd obligatory scene where everything comes out in a damburst of thematic resolution. Instead, Lawrence, Christian, and editor Karl Soderstein bravely allow the film to leave things unsaid and strand certain story elements, letting them remain mercifully undeveloped. In doing so, Jindabyne demonstrates great faith in the viewer's desire to participate in the story--and gives the viewer a story worth the effort.

Linney and Byrne never dominate the cast, which features marvelous performances from some of Australia's finest actors. In particular, Simon Stone as Billy, whom Byrne's Stewart calls "The Kid" shines as the youngest of the fishermen, yet to lose his sense of awe and joy over life and what it has to offer. He's a marvelous foil to Byrne, aging gracelessly and fed up with life's hard work and scant pleasures.

The subject matter is serious and ambitious, yet Lawrence never forgets that people are never just one thing at a time. The characters are driven by deep passions--and the actors all make strong, smart choices--but Lawrence doesn't make them play those passions in every scene. It's the Zen river approach to storytelling; a feeling emerges, it's noted, it passes by. And yet it's still dramatic, deeply so. What a marvel! More like this, please.